Container openable and reclosable at two substantially and mutually opposite ends thereof

ABSTRACT

A container is openable and reclosable at two substantially and mutually opposite ends, and includes a base from which a side wall rises, which converges to form a neck ending in a first opening closed by a cap. The container includes a second opening near or at the base and closed by a tongue, which is a portion of the base. By virtue of the second opening, when the container is nearly empty, the residual substance deposited at the base can be easily taken through the second opening. The base can be disconnected and reconnected to the side wall. In this case, the second opening extends over the entire base of the container. Alternatively, it can include at least one wall partitioning the interior into multiple compartments extending end-to-end, each provided with a first and a second opening at the two ends.

FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention applies to the field of containers intended to contain at least one preferably viscous liquid substance, even more preferably belonging to the scope of hygiene and cleaning products. By way of example, “viscous substance” means generic shampoo, commonly available on the market.

More precisely, the present invention refers to a container of the aforesaid type which is openable and reclosable at two substantially and mutually opposite ends thereof.

OVERVIEW OF THE PRIOR ART

The containers intended to contain liquid substances generally comprise a preferably flat resting base, from which a side wall rises, which converges to form a neck ending in an opening arranged at an end of the container substantially opposite to the base. The opening allows to take the substance enclosed therein from the container and is reversibly closable (i.e. so as to be openable and reclosable) by means of a specific cap.

When a container encloses a viscose substance therein (e.g. such as shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath, soap, cream, detergent, etc.), the substance adheres to the base and to the side wall of the container so that, by inclining it or turning it upside down, the substance does exit from the container due to gravity, but too slowly for its use. For this reason, the containers of the type to which the present invention relates can be easily compressed at the side wall. Indeed, a compression of the container reduces its volume and thus pushes the substance enclosed therein through the opening, thus releasing it from the container.

When the container is nearly empty, it cannot be compressed sufficiently to determine the release of the residual substance. In order to extract the latter from the container, it is therefore necessary to turn it upside down and wait for the residual substance to deposit on the cap due to the weight force. This could require a relatively long time.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks by providing a container adapted to contain a viscose liquid substance and from which said substance can be easily taken, even when the container is nearly empty.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container comprising:

-   -   a base at a first end;     -   at least one side wall which rises from the aforesaid base;     -   a first opening placed at a second end substantially opposite to         the first end;     -   first closing means adapted to reversibly close the first         opening,

wherein, according to the invention, the container further comprises:

-   -   a second opening placed at the aforesaid base or at the         aforesaid side wall close to the aforesaid base;     -   second closing means adapted to reversibly close said second         opening, the aforesaid base comprising the second closing means         when the second opening is at the base,     -   the aforesaid side wall comprising the second closing means when         the second opening is at the side wall.

When the container is nearly empty, the residual substance is deposited at the base. Advantageously, since the container can also be opened near or at the base, the residual substance can be easily taken from the container through the second opening, regardless of whether the container can be compressed or turned upside down.

Additionally, since the second closing means included in the base or in the side wall of the container (thus a portion of the base or of the side wall of the container acts as a cap of the second opening), the provision of the aforesaid second closing means does not require the addition of components to the container of the invention. More precisely, the second closing means can be obtained by appropriately cutting and/or deforming the base or the side wall of the container (so as to provide through grooves, easy breakage lines and easy folding lines by way of example). If the second closing means cannot be completely disconnected from the remaining portion of the base or of the side wall of the container (e.g. by virtue of a connection comprising an easy folding line), there is no risk of the second closing means being lost when the second opening is not occluded (i.e. when the latter is open).

Further innovative features of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

According to an aspect of the invention, the base can be at least partially connected to and disconnected from the side wall of the container.

Advantageously, according to this aspect of the invention, the base can be at least partially reversibly removed from the side wall of the container. This allows to refill the container easily when it is empty or nearly empty.

According to another aspect of the invention, the base and the side wall of the container at least partially delimit an inner space portion the container, the container comprising:

-   -   at least one partition wall at least partially accommodated at         the aforesaid space portion and partitioning the latter into at         least two compartments extending from the base to said second         end of the container,

the container further comprising a plurality of the aforesaid first and second openings and of respective first and second closing means, the container comprising at least one of the aforesaid first openings (with the respective first closing means) and at least one of the aforesaid second openings (with the respective second closing means) for each of said compartments.

Advantageously, by virtue of the presence of one or more partition walls, the container of the invention may contain multiple substances (e.g. shampoo and hair conditioner) keeping them separate from each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof and from the accompanying drawings merely provided by way of non-limitative example, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a container according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a first variant of the container in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a second variant of the container in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a third variant of the container in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a fourth variant of the container in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a fifth variant of the container in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter in the present description a figure may also be shown with reference to elements not expressly indicated therein but indicated on other figures instead. The scale and proportions of the various elements shown do not necessarily correspond to the real values.

FIG. 1 shows a container 1 of the invention, adapted to contain a viscose liquid substance, e.g. such as shampoo or hair conditioner. Container 1 comprises a base 2, circular by way of example, from which a side wall 3, cylindrical by way of example, rises preferably orthogonally, which converges to form a neck 4 ending in a first opening closed by a cap 5. Container 1 has, by way of example, a substantially elongated shape with base 2 placed at a first end and the first opening placed, together with cap 5, at a second end substantially opposite to the first end. Cap 5 preferably comprises a circular top portion 6, preferably orthogonally connected to an internally threaded cylindrical side wall 7, so as to be screwable to a corresponding portion of neck 4 adjacent to the aforesaid first opening and externally threaded. Cap 5 can be screwed onto neck 4 and unscrewed therefrom for a given number of times, so as to act as a reversible closing means for the first opening. Alternatively to the connection method described above, cap 5 may be interlocked to neck 4 or connected in another substantially known manner.

Container 1 differs from the containers of known type in that it comprises a second opening placed near base 2 and closed by a tongue 8 of substantially rectangular shape, by way of example. The second opening is preferably made at the side wall 3 starting from base 2, and has substantially the same width as tongue 8. The latter is preferably a portion of the side wall 3 arranged with the long sides directed orthogonally to base 2 (i.e. longitudinally with respect to container 1) and the short side 9 farther from base 2 and hinged to the remaining portion of the side wall 3. Tongue 8 can rotate between a first portion, at which tongue 8 is interlocked to the aforesaid remaining portion of the side wall 3 so as to close the aforesaid second opening, preferably hermetically, and a second position, at which tongue 8 does not occlude the second opening. Similarly to the cap 5 with respect to the first opening, tongue 8 acts as reversible closing means for the second opening. Incidentally, since tongue 8 is a portion of the side wall 3, the latter comprises the aforesaid closing means for the second opening. In other words, one part of the side wall 3 acts as a cap for the second opening.

Alternatively to being hinged to the remaining portion of side wall 3 at side 9, tongue 8 may be hinged to base 2 at the short side opposite to side 9. Additionally, instead of being substantially rectangular, tongue 8 may be substantially in the shape of an isosceles trapezium, with the minor base at base 2. The connection between tongue 8 and base 2 may be made by means of an easy folding line. The side wall 3 may further comprise a recess (not shown in the figure), in which a finger of a user using the container can be inserted, at the greater base of tongue 8. By inserting the tip of a finger in the aforesaid groove, the tongue 8 may be easily turned from the first position to the second position.

FIG. 2 shows a container 10 which differs from container 1 in that the second opening is provided at base 2 instead of being arranged near the latter. More precisely, the second opening is preferably made starting from the circular edge 11 of base 2 and is closed by a tongue 12 which is substantially rectangular in shape, by way of example. The second opening has substantially the same width as tongue 12. The latter is preferably a portion of base 2 arranged with the long sides directed orthogonally to the circular edge 11 (i.e. longitudinally with respect to container 10) and the short side 13 farther from edge 11 and hinged to the remaining portion of base 2. Tongue 12 can rotate between a first portion at which tongue 12 is interlocked to the aforesaid remaining portion of base 2 so as to close, preferably hermetically, the aforesaid second opening, and a second position at which tongue 12 does not occlude the second opening. Similarly to the cap 5 with respect to the first opening, tongue 12 acts as a reversible closing means for the second opening. Incidentally, since tongue 12 is a portion of base 2, the latter comprises the aforesaid closing means for the second opening. In other words, one part of base 2 acts as a cap for the second opening.

Alternatively to being hinged to base 2 at the side 13, tongue 12 may be hinged to the remaining portion of the side base 3 at the short side opposite to side 13. Additionally, tongue 12, instead of being substantially rectangular, may be substantially in the shape of an isosceles trapezium, with the minor base at the side wall 3. The connection between the tongue 12 and the side wall 3 may be made by means of an easy folding line. Base 2 may further comprise a recess (not shown in the figure), in which a finger of a user using the container can be inserted, at the greater base of tongue 12. By inserting the tip of a finger in the aforesaid groove, tongue 12 may be easily turned from the first position to the second position. Preferably, when tongue 12 is in the first position (i.e. when the second opening is closed), the tongue 12 is flush with the remaining portion of base 3 (i.e. does not protrude with respect thereto). Thereby, the presence of tongue 12 does not make the resting of the container of the invention unstable at base 3.

FIG. 3 shows a container 20 which differs from container 10 in that the second opening has substantially the same extension as base 2. The latter can be disconnected from and reconnected to the side wall 3, so as to act as a reversible closing means for the second opening itself instead of tongue 12. Base 2 comprises, by way of example, an internally threaded cylindrical side wall 21, so as to be screwable to a corresponding end portion of the side wall 3 adjacent to the second opening and externally threaded. Alternatively to being unscrewable from and screwable to the side wall 3, base 2 is interlocked to the side wall 3, with the cylindrical side wall 21, free from threading, fitted onto the aforesaid end portion, being also free from threading.

FIG. 4 shows a container 30 which differs from container 1 in that it is cylindrical in shape. Instead of converging into neck 4, the side wall 3 ends in a second base 31 substantially equal to base 2. Container 30 further comprises a preferably rectangular partition wall 32, arranged orthogonally to the bases 2 and 31 and housed inside container 30, i.e. at a space portion delimited by the bases 2 and 31 and by the side wall 3. The partition wall 32 is preferably arranged at a longitudinal symmetry plane of container 30 and hermetically partitions the aforesaid space portion into two compartments 33 and 34 which extend from the lower base 2 to the upper base 31. Container 30 comprises four openings arranged at the bases 2 and 31, and closed by four respective tongues 35, 36, 37 and 38. More specifically, each of the compartments 33 and 34 is provided with two openings arranged at the two bases 2 and 31, respectively. Compartment 33, on the left in FIG. 4, comprises, at the lower base 2, an opening substantially equal to the second opening of container 1, closed by a tongue 35 equivalent to tongue 8. Compartment 33 further comprises, at the upper base 31, an opening substantially equal to the second opening of container 10 (except for the fact that it is made at base 31 instead of base 2), closed by a tongue 36 equivalent to tongue 12. Similarly, compartment 34, on the right in FIG. 4, comprises at the lower base 2, an opening substantially equal to the second opening of container 1, closed by a tongue 37 equivalent to tongue 8. Compartment 34 further comprises, at the upper base 31, an opening substantially equal to the second opening of container 10 (except for the fact that it is made at base 31 instead of base 2), closed by a tongue 38 equivalent to tongue 12. Each of the compartments 33 and 34 thus comprises two openings placed at two ends of container 30, respectively, and reversibly closed by a pair of tongues, respectively.

FIG. 5 shows a container 40 which differs from container 30 in that the two openings at base 2 are substantially equal to the second opening of container 10 instead to the second opening of container 1, and are closed by two tongues 41 and 42 equivalent to tongue 12, respectively.

FIG. 6 shows a container 50, which differs from container 40 in that the two second openings at base 2 have, as a whole, substantially the same extension as the latter. Base 2 comprises two substantially semicircular portions 51 and 52, mutually symmetric and which can be disconnected from and reconnected to the side wall 3 at the aforesaid openings, so as to act as reversible closing means thereof instead of the tongues 41 and 42. In particular, considered as a whole, base 2 is interlocked to the side wall 3 and preferably comprises a cylindrical side wall 53 partitioned between the two portions 51 and 52, and fitted onto a terminal portion of the side wall 3.

The container of the present invention, in all its variants described above, is preferably made of a polymeric material.

According to the provided description of a preferred embodiment, it is apparent that changes may be made by those skilled in the art without therefore departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

1-7. (canceled)
 8. A container (50) comprising: a base (2) at a first end; at least one side wall (3) which rises from said base (2), said base (2) and said side wall (3) at least partially delimiting a portion of space inside said container (50); at least one partition wall (32) at least partially accommodated at said space portion and partitioning it into at least two compartments (33, 34) extending from said base (2) to a second end of said container (50) substantially opposite to said first end; a plurality of first openings placed at said second end, said container (50) comprising one of said first openings for each of said compartments (33, 34); first means (36, 38) for reversibly closing said first openings; a plurality of second openings placed at said base (2), said container (50) comprising one of said second openings for each of said compartments (33, 34); second means (51, 52, 53) for reversibly closing said second openings, said base (2) comprising said second closing means (51, 52, 53), wherein said second openings have, as a whole, substantially the same extension as said base (2), said base (2) being portioned in at least two portions (51, 52), one of said portions (51, 52) being at each of said compartments (33, 34), each of said portions (51, 52) being able to be disconnected from and reconnected to said side wall (3) so as to act as said second closing means.
 9. A container (50) according to claim 8, wherein said side wall (3) is cylindrical, said portions (51, 52) of said base (2) being semicircular and mutually symmetric.
 10. A container (50) according to claim 9, wherein said base (2) comprises a cylindrical edge (53) partitioned between said portions (51, 52) of said base (2) and able to be fitted onto a terminal portion of said side wall (3).
 11. A container (50) according to claim 10, wherein said portions (51, 52) of said base (2), through said edge (53), can be connected to and disconnected from said terminal portion of said side wall (3) by fitting. 